Friday, October 23, was the day. 70 jack-o’-lanterns would light the way from the end of the boardwalk to the beach at Mowry Beach Preserve in Lubec. A fire on the beach would be enjoyed for the warmth it offered and for the s’mores it created. Hundreds of people would find themselves walking the boardwalk and the beach, all lit by the glow of the moon and pumpkins.
It all happened, from set-up to take-down, within a five-hour period of time. However, executing this event is a process that can take months. The most important part of the event is, of course, the pumpkins! Getting 70 pumpkins carved within a short period of time and transported to Mowry Beach is the most difficult part of this event because of the coordination and planning it requires. This year, though, DCC was approached by Lubec Community Outreach Center (LCOC), which is conveniently located at one of the entrances to Mowry Beach Preserve, with a proposition that youth in their programs carve a large number of the pumpkins. Incredible! Most of the pumpkins were accounted for; some will be kept for a new activity coming to the event, and some will be carved by DCC employees. Where will the last 10 or so go? This is when a new Girl Scout club being led out of Cobscook Institute reached out asking about carving pumpkins for the event. They would be meeting and carving pumpkins on Thursday, and one of the leaders would bring them to the event on Friday themselves- amazing!
Now we just need to go to Hannaford, order in two crates of pumpkins at least three weeks ahead of time, pick them up, communicate and coordinate with everyone who is going to carve them, double-check all of the lights and other supplies, make sure we have enough carving tools, begin promoting the event, coordinate with volunteers, oh, and hope that the weather is nice on the night the event is planned for.
Well, luckily all of that happened. The final result was 45 pumpkins carved at LCOC the afternoon before the event, many by youth who were planning to come to the event. “Can you make sure my pumpkin is on the walk!?” “Yes, ALL of them will be on the walk!” 10 pumpkins were carved by the Girl Scout club, five used for a fun new guess-what’s-in-the-pumpkin activity, and 10 were carved by DCC staff and volunteers.
The evening of the event, all supplies were placed in the DCC truck, and volunteers and staff planned to meet at 4:30 pm behind Lubec Elementary to prepare for the event to begin at 6 pm. LCOC had graciously moved 45 pumpkins outside; others were in the DCC truck, and the final few would be arriving later. The task now? Spread the pumpkins along the trail, set up the tables, fire pit, and activity on the beach, place strings of lights along the walk, and finally, after everything else has been done, place lights in the pumpkins so they can glow! All of this was only possible thanks to the support offered by volunteers.
When 6 pm came, the sun had set, and a faint glow of red was left on the horizon; the moon had risen and was already lighting up the trail and beach. A pack of excited youth, adults, and families had gathered at the beginning of the trail behind Lubec Elementary. Once the final pumpkins had been placed and given lights, they began the walk. Enjoying jack-o’-lanterns of all kinds, smiling faces, vampires, big teeth, cats, and so, so many more. Some of the children who helped carve the pumpkins came through and were thrilled to see the pumpkins they had carved displayed on the trail.
Then, at the beach, the moon cast a reflection upon the rising sea. The light it offered allowed children the freedom to run and play. Some youth listened to spooky stories being read by employees of the Lubec Memorial Library. Lanterns allowed individuals to grab sticks and marshmallows for s’mores over the fire, as well as allowed youth to play a game of “guess what is in the pumpkin”. For this, items that had been discovered at DCC preserves were placed inside a pumpkin, with a hole cut in the front and a cloth covering it so no one could see in. The goal was to guess what was inside just by using touch. The items in the pumpkins were a deer skull, a horseshoe, a chestnut bur, a large dried mushroom, and a hornet’s nest. The deer skull and horseshoe were often guessed correctly, while the mushroom and hornet’s nest tended to stump people. The chestnut bur was a bit of a trick; many players confidently guessed sea urchin, and how could you blame them? We were just yards from the ocean, and they are very similar, in terms of feel, to a chestnut bur, a small, spiky ball. With the context of place and sight taken out of the equation, and touch as the determining factor, the two seem almost identical. Nonetheless, it was impressive how many youngsters even knew sea urchins well enough to make the guess.
Overall, it was another incredible Pumpkin Glow at Mowry Beach Preserve. Hundreds of people came out for a great community evening by the sea, under the light of the moon, following the jack-o’-lanterns to the beach. Collaborating with LCOC to carve a majority of the pumpkins this year allowed the focus to shift from moving pumpkins to enhancing the event. DCC is hopeful that this partnership for the event can grow and is excited for what could be possible in coming years. Thank you to LCOC, Lubec Memorial Library, the volunteers who helped make this event happen, and to all of the great community members who come out year after year to enjoy the glow of the pumpkins.